The Rising Dead (Mericcup Fic)
by quivering-pens4931
Summary: War is raging in Merida's kingdom. The princess calls on some handsome help from a nearby island. With a new enemy and twists at each corner, will they both survive? Warnings; bad jokes, mild language, randomness, and Mericcup
1. Chapter 1

Flying on a dragon in some situations is wonderful, amazing, and it makes you have this feeling of unbridled freedom. But that is in some circumstances. In the circumstance I was in, I wasn't able to enjoy those feelings, and now; riding on a dragon was an everyday thing, something I took for granted. The scenery was beautiful, I wish I could have enjoyed it, the sky was a dark blue with dusk approaching, and the last of the sun's rays turned the mountains' tops a shade of purple. I was approaching a speck of color that didn't seem to belong, a wild red, reminding me of a campfire. I knew better. I hope she doesn't kill me.

Toothless, my dragon, and I landed, and I approached the girl, my prosthetic squeaking in protest, as if saying *turn back, danger*. The red color I had seen was wild, curly hair that belonged to a girl I knew very well. She was one of those people who had worked her way into my heart, and not many could do that. I admired her for that. She was the Scottish princess of Dunbroch. Her name was simply Merida.

"How late am I?" I asked, noting her angered look.

"Three days." She stated grimly, her tone bitter and cold.

"Mer…I'm sorry—"

"Sorry doesn't cut it!" she cried, slicing her hands through the air. Then, I took in her entire appearance; her red hair was tangled, probably hadn't been brushed for days, her face was pale and gaunt, hardly any color in her cheeks. Her blue eyes were a strange color…they were darker than I remembered, and they almost seemed tinted with a hint of lavender…they were reddened on the edges, as if she had been crying. Dark shadows hung underneath them as well, as if she hadn't slept for days, and a small shelter had been built, maybe by her. Her dress was a midnight blue, as the night sky above us, but the fabric almost shimmered, like the stars that would soon come out. Her cloak was spattered with mud, and worn to the point of fraying. Her horse, Angus, was nowhere in sight.

"What took you so long?" she sobbed, trying to hide it, by covering her mouth with her hands. I didn't answer. I strode towards her, wrapping my arms around her frail body. She was obviously thin and weak, probably from malnutrition. I could feel her sobs shake her body as she cried into my shoulder. I tried consoling her, but there was no point. When Merida was in this state, it would take her hours, maybe days to get over it. She was strong, but when she broke, it took time to fix her. "H-h-hiccup…I-I'm sorry…I—"she stammered, barely managing my name.

"Mer…you're okay. I'm here. I'm sorry it took me so long…I was busy with everything at Berk…" I tried to explain, but she pushed herself away, to stand on her own. I let her have space, knowing she'd chop my head off if I didn't.

"No…I understand. I shouldn't have bothered you—"she began, but I cut her off, by taking her delicate hands in mind.

"No. I want to know what's troubling you Mer. You know how I feel towards you. I don't want you to be like this." I managed a small smile for her sake, saying what comforting words I knew.

She returned the smile before saying, "You're an idiot, ya fishbone." She gave a shaky laugh, and I could tell she was trying hard not to turn it into a sob.

"So…what's wrong?" I asked her, trying to look her in the eyes, but she turned her head away, and couldn't bring herself to face me.

"Ah…you remember Mordu?" she asked, taking her hands from mine and wringing them nervously.

"Don't tell me he's back." I uttered, remembering the pain that…man had caused. It was a difficult story, Merida had told me thousands of times, how he wanted power, and how he turned into a bear to gain it. We had fought him, a few years ago, and we both saw his spirit become a wisp and disappear.

"No. Heavens no…but…things are happenin'…bad thin's. People k-keep seein—"her voice broke and her knees buckled. Luckily I was close enough to catch her, and we both sat down on a boulder, about half the size of Toothless. Her feet dangled in the air, her shoes, were strangely slippers, which Merida never wore, and white, or what used to be white, stockings which Merida never even touched. She had called them "girly" or "much too lady-like" and had tossed them aside.

"People keep seeing what?" I asked her, worried that she would fall forward.

"People are seeing things…they shouldn't see. Warriors that aren't there. Soldiers that seem like fog…men with wounds so severe that they shouldn't have survived." I was nervous of what she was about to say. But, how could they be? I had heard of such things in Viking lore…souls of dead men coming back to haunt the people or the dragons that had killed them. All Vikings just simply laughed them off, but deep down…I wondered if we really laughed them off, or if we just acted tough for the fun of it. But this…what she was talking about, sent shivers up my spine…if they were real…

I wasn't even paying attention as she continued, "Not to mention my da' is missing…"

"The King has gone missing?" I asked, raising my eyebrows, surprised. You didn't kidnap King Fergus without losing a limb. That's not how I lost my leg, but that's a different story.

"Yah. And now…my mum has taken over the king's duties…and I…I have to take over the queen's. But…this doesn't make the Lords happy. They say that they wanted a king to rule, and it's rightfully a man's…those bastards…" she grumbled. I put a hand on her shoulder, and felt a little better, now that the real Merida was back.

"But what's going to happen? Is one of the lords going to take over?" I asked, dutifully interested now.

"I just don't know. They're talking about marriage—"

"But they can't! You turned your mother into a bear because you didn't want to be married!" I argued, shifting in my seat.

"Hiccup." Merida's voice instantly calmed me down. The ferocity hadn't died, but it was a lot different from what it was earlier. "They didn't say anything about me…or my hand." Then…I finally figured it out. They weren't after Merida's hand since she had nearly started a war over it. Instead, they were after the queen's hand…which meant…

"They think your father is dead." I finished.

"Yes, Hiccup. They think he is. I do not believe them. I do _not_ give up on my father so easily." I almost smiled at the fire in her voice, the determined look that she was giving the ground. Although Merida may not have her emotions in check, she was very loyal to her family, and was very determined. She rarely gave up, and if she did, she wasn't that hard to get her riled up and believing again.

"But they have to have confirmation…they have to have evidence—"I explained.

Merida cut me off in a sharp tone, "They already think they have evidence. My father's sword was found, bent and broken. It was confirmed his. If ya ask me, a broken sword doesn't mean someone's dead…it means someone is in trouble, without a weapon." She laughed bitterly at her own joke, but I could tell she was fighting herself. She wanted to believe her father was alive, and that the lords couldn't marry her mother, because she was still married to the "alive" king. Once the king is dead, the lords of the country can take the queen's hand at any given time, but the royal family of Scotland wasn't about to give up so easily.

I looked at her, but she averted my gaze, looking to the side. Maybe it was my imagination, but I swore I saw something in her hair…not all of her hair was red. White streaks ran through her hair, as if she was already showing signs of aging. But we were both nearly twenty. It was nearly impossible. She must have noticed where my eyes were and snorted, "As if I don't have enough on my plate, I found the sacred place of a unicorn. Now, I am cursed with the "Curse of the Unicorn"." She gave a sigh before running a hand through her red and white locks.

"But…they aren't real…and what is the curse anyway?" I was utterly confused by it all.

"I thought that too…but then again, before I met you, I never knew a dragon existed." A few meters away, Toothless let out a huff, having us acknowledge his existence. "The curse…is hard to describe. The unicorn wasn't very talkative. I have a riddle to solve, and without solving the riddle…the curse overcomes me." She seemed very interested in the stones and grass at her feet.

"What is the riddle?" I asked, trying to take her hand, but she pulled away from it and took a deep breath.

"It _is_ a long one…I guess I'll sum it up then..." she told me the riddle in a monotone, as if it were the future, her life was hanging in the balance, which knowing the world of magic, it probably was. I wanted to help her, take some of the burdens that Merida was carrying, but I knew I couldn't. How could I? No. These were things that Merida had to carry alone. Something in the back of my mind, my conscious, told me. She finally managed to meet my eyes, which were wide and full of emotions. "Hiccup…I can't ask you to do anythin'…"

"No." I cut her off immediately, and looked into her eyes, which looked broken, confused, and they held absolute fear. "No Mer. I want to help you, in any way I can. Let me help you. Berk can become your ally. Maybe we can find your father from the air. Maybe—"I was gentle, but I stood up, bound and determined to help the young Scottish queen out. She slid off the rock and placed her hand on my shoulder, which caused me to look at her again.

"Hiccup…you sound exactly like me. Prideful…determined…brave. At least…what I used to be. Don't let the world sweep you off yer feet like it has me. I thought I was tough enough, I thought I could take on the world. It turns out that I couldn't, and it caught me by surprise. Now…I don't know what to do." She confessed, and I turned to look back at her. I took her hands and gently pressed them in mine.

"We'll get through this together. I promise Mer. Maybe after things settle down you and I—"I trailed off, looking at her. She didn't want marriage. She didn't have time for one now.

"Hiccup…I can't—"She started, but I realized my mistake.

"No. Not yet. Don't worry about us yet. Don't worry about me. Focus on what you have to do first. Once things settle down maybe…but you're the biggest thing that's ever happened to me. I'm not gonna let anything bad happen to you. I promise." I replied.

"Thank you Hiccup." Merida answered, smiling. That one beautiful smile alone was enough to knock a grown man off his feet.

"I'll get Berk to help look for your father. As for diplomatic things…I think you can handle those. If those clans bother you or your mother…well, we'll be eating roasted Scottish Lord stew." I joked, trying to keep that smile on her face. She gave me a warning glare, although she was fighting to not smile, told me, "Don't you dare. They're still my allies, whether they are wanting our hands or not."

I laughed before promising, "I won't. But Mer…let me help you. I'll help you in any way I can. You know I will. I won't stop worrying about you…or loving you…not even the day you die, whether you like it or not. I'll do whatever I can."

A fresh set of tears threatened to spill forth from Merida's eyes, but these seemed different. Tears of happiness. I brought our hands up together and wiped away her tears, but she leaned her head against our hands and took a shaky breath. "I…I love you fishbone." She murmured, her voice cracking, but she managed a small smile.

I returned her smile and told her, "You're gonna be okay."

"I promise."

Author's Note!

So hey guys! I'm kinda new to this site, so please feel free to help me out with anything. As for my ships...well, obviously this is one of my favorites. Please don't bash it. There are plenty of other stories on here for you to read, so if you don't like this, don't read it please. Constructive criticism is welcome! I'll update as soon as possible!

Backstory:

Okay, so a little bit of a backstory. Merida's kingdom has been fighting for months. In this AU, she commonly deals with rogue Vikings, mean Celts, animals, etc. Now they face an enemy from legend that they don't really understand. This will fall together later, but please be patient. The triplets are older, as Merida is almost twenty like Hiccup is. Please do note that they have known each other, and they keep in contact with the other two from the "Big Four". As for Merida and the Unicorn, that may or may not be a future fan fiction that I choose to write. I simply put it in here, because it was simply too tempting to not do that. As for anything else, it will be explained later.


	2. Chapter 2

Waiting for Hiccup was one of the hardest things I've ever done. Three days he had been gone, and it started to eat at me. He usually was quite punctual, and he chose the wrong time to be late. My body was weak without much food, and since Angus had left, I hadn't been able to go back to Scotland. I also wasn't sure when Hiccup would arrive either, and I didn't want to give him the same treatment. He didn't deserve it.

*You don't deserve it either.* I thought.

I told myself to shut it, and wondered if I was going mad. If Hiccup left me alone for another minute, I was sure I would. My father was gone, taken in the blink of an eye. My mum had taken over the kingdom, and the lords of the clans were trying to take her hand in marriage, along with mine. Like bloody 'ell I'd let them take me in marriage. They weren't going to take my hand, nor were their sons. The bloody lords weren't about to touch my mother either, she was still married. Until my father, the king, was confirmed dead, they couldn't marry her.

*They could try though*, the doubtful part of me knew. I cursed myself for letting me lose faith in my mum. She was a lot stronger than I gave her credit for really. My mum had always protected me and cared for me and my wee devil brothers too.

Looking towards the soon-to-be dark sky, the stars beginning to show themselves, I looked for a dark speck I should be able to recognize. I scuffed the tip of my shoe against the soft ground, and wished he would get here sooner. Hearing a screech above me, I scanned the sky once more before my eyes pinpointed a black spot in the star-speckled sky. I could hardly hold back a small smile, late but still he came.

Although he wouldn't get off completely, I still couldn't stay mad at Hiccup. He always knew how to make me feel better, and help me out with whatever I needed. He was a sweet boy in that way but…ever since the disgusting lords decided to attack, I had pushed off our fast-growing friendship and made sure we were just allies.

But I knew better than that, Hiccup and I…we were complicated. I knew it was more than friendship to him, and me, but I was so scared to tell the lad the truth. I never confessed to him, but that wasn't what this night was about. I straightened out my skirt, brushing out non-existent wrinkles and invisible dust. I waited for him quietly as he and his dragon, Toothless landed. He was in his flight suit, I noticed, he had his extra wing adjustments tucked away. Hiccup approached me and as he did so, his prosthetic squeaked in protest.

"How late am I?" He asked, his voice almost quivering.

"Three days." I growled, not bothering to fight my anger anymore.

"Mer I'm sorry—" He started, but I snapped.

"Sorry doesn't cut it!" I cried, slicing my hand through the air. I was so tired, even that little action took a toll on me. He gave me a glance-over, and I immediately felt sorry for him. He was so confused as to why I was like this. A few statements came forth from my mouth before Hiccup leapt towards me. Only later did I realize I had collapsed, and he had caught me. I hardly heard his words, but the comfort of them washed over me warmly as he set me on a boulder. Curse my height, my legs couldn't touch the ground. My slippers hung out slightly underneath my dress. Honestly, I was so tired, I yearned to sleep, but I couldn't show weakness.

*This is Hiccup! He could careless!* I thought to myself. It was true, he probably wouldn't, but that didn't change the fact that the future queen of Scotland was showing weakness to someone outside of my kingdom. Ally or not, he could still take over if he wanted to and know I was weak. When I felt his eyes fall on my hair, I remembered the streaks…and the curse. Sniffing back tears, I told him about the curse of the unicorn, and how I was supposed to figure out the riddle. If I didn't, my life could very well be on the line. We kept talking, but when I told him about the part I truly dreaded…the lords and their greedy hands…he seemed quite angry. But the real toll showed on him when I told him, "Hiccup…I can't ask you to do anythin'…" he simply snapped.

He surprised me by jumping off our little perch and I only wanted to reassure him. I wanted him to worry about anything but me, but that was out of the question now. He went rogue, spouting things that barely reached my ears. I jumped off the boulder, hoping my legs could take the burden. When they did, I put my hand on his shoulder, and that seemed to have a calming effect on him. He looked back at me with gentle green eyes as I attempted to comfort him with my words.

I wanted to tell him how helping me could get himself hurt. But as soon as the words flowed out of my mouth, I could barely remember any of them. Although I did remember these words, "Hiccup…you sound exactly like me. Prideful…determined…brave. At least…what I used to be. Don't let the world sweep you off yer feet like it has me. I thought I was tough enough, I thought I could take on the world. It turns out that I couldn't, and it caught me by surprise. Now…I don't know what to do." I let the words go, and it made me feel better, warning him about it all.

Hiccup gently took my hands and placed them in his. His hands weren't soft, probably from working in the forges and dealing with his usual duties, but they were comforting. Even if they weren't smooth, it still reminded me of a working man, and it was much better than a smooth, rich, spoiled lord's hand. He spoke to me so softly and sweetly, it was quite hard not to cry. Wiping away my tears with both sets of hands, it moved me how much he wanted to help me.

He promised so much to me, but how could I ever keep it? How could we ever do anything together? Would things ever get better? I knew I was about to find out. Hiccup took my hand as we mounted Toothless, and we left the mountain together.

AN: I apologize for this chapter beings so short! It didn't seem that short at the time, so again, I apologize! I will have longer chapters coming up (hopefully)! Alright, so there's been some people that have asked me (personally) about this fan fiction. I have, obviously, decided to answer these questions now.

The unicorn curse. This idea is one of my later AUs where Merida, Hiccup, Jack, and Rapunzel get together after Merida finds the sacred place of a unicorn. She has to solve a riddle within a few days with little to no information, before the curse over comes her and forces her to leave the Big Four. Due to the time crunch lately, I haven't been able to expand much upon this idea, but I know for certain it will be a fan fiction in the future. I love the idea of mythical creatures interfering with Scotland mythology (thus the production of this AU), so it will happen, just not sure when yet.

Merida's brothers in this fan fiction are only ten-twelve years old guys. They're not really able to rule a country. Forgive me if that's historically inaccurate, but that's basically giving a three year old a knife and telling him to carve an entire turkey. Even with help, he's not going to be able to do it. In the movie, they didn't talk, so I guessed around the toddler stage, and I estimated the age difference to be from eight to ten years. Merida's mother, in this case, is the only rightful monarch to rule other than Merida, as she is queen. Merida is controlling the military, as will be shown in later chapters. As for Merida's father...

Merida's dad is NOT dead. Yet. Mwahahahah. Okay, fine. Anyways, in the "old days" when kings lost their swords in the wilderness without a horse, they were usually assumed hurt, or even possibly dead. Meh, it could be inaccurate, but they are most likely not going to spend a heck of a lot of time in there, especially if his weapon is found broken, and he is missing in the wilderness. Please forgive me and understand this is needed for the plot.

On the ending note, please remember that this AU is not completely and historically perfect. This is an Alternate Universe, but constructive criticism is welcomed! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I apologize for the short chapter, but there will be more to come!

Thank you and review!


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